A Change in the Past
by Sihaya
Summary: After Padme finds out that Anakin has turned to the Dark Side, she wishes that she could have done it all over again and changed her past...
1. Prologue

All characters belong to George Lucas 

A Change in the Past

**Prologue **

Obi-Wan stood outside Senator Padme Amidala's chamber on Coruscant. His stomach churned with apprehension as his hand hovered in the air, about to knock on the door. His brows drew together as he contemplated what was about to happen. _I cannot do this_, he thought anxiously. His hand dropped to his side and rested intuitively on the handle of his lightsaber. Taking a deep breath, he drew the Force to his aid. It calmed the nerves in his stomach and pushed the dark thoughts back into the corners of his mind. A slight breeze blew down the corridor. Obi-Wan opened his eyes and knocked quietly on the metal door. It slid open smoothly.  A handmaiden stood in the entrance.

            The handmaiden studied him with masked curiosity. Reddish locks spilled out from under the hood of her robe, which shimmered in the lights coming from outside. Otherwise the chamber was dark. Figures moved about within the chamber, cloaked in shadow. The handmaiden stepped out into the corridor beside Obi-Wan and the door slid shut behind her. 

            When she was in the brighter light, Obi-Wan could see her more clearly. The sheer robe fluttered around her feet and the bell sleeves draped over her hands. Her violet eyes pierced his as she looked him over, not recognizing him. "Who are you?" she asked curiously. "I have not seen you before." 

            "I am Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said, caressing the hilt of his weapon unconsciously. The handmaiden caught the movement and her eyes widened.

            "You're a Jedi," she said softly, her eyes moving from the hilt of the blade to his Jedi robes.

            "Yes," Obi-Wan said. "I have come from the Temple with an important message for the Senator."

            "Padme is not feeling well," the unidentified handmaiden said. "Her head aches dreadfully and the light hurt her eyes, which is why the chamber is dark…" her voice trailed off. "I could take the message for her," the handmaiden said. Obi-Wan pondered her offer for a moment. _I can't take that risk_," he decided.    

            "I'm afraid I cannot tell you," he said. "This message is for Padme, and Padme only." His eyes searched hers for a leeway, a bit of sympathy. The handmaiden shifted her weight and her right hand rested on her hip slightly as she bit her lip and thought over his answer. 

            "Padme is not feeling well," she repeated. "I have strict orders not to let anyone in."

            "But I must see her, now," Obi-Wan said sternly. Without waiting for her reply, he funneled the Force into her mind, changing her answer. Her expression changed from doubt to serene obedience.

            "Of course, Master Jedi," she murmured. With a wave of her hand the chamber door opened once more and Obi-Wan strode in. 

            As the door closed again, the room was bathed in gloom. Silhouetted against the window was another handmaiden. Her head turned towards the intruder, and then sought out the other handmaiden. "No visitors," she said. "The Senator is ill."

            "I must see her," Obi-Wan said, reaching out again with the Force. The handmaiden nodded submissively and gestured towards another door. Obi-Wan walked through it. It was the door to Padme's bedchamber. Thick curtains were drawn across the windows, allowing but a single ray of light to penetrate into the room. Obi-Wan reached out his hand tentatively and his hand ran across a woven coverlet. 

            "Padme," he whispered, feeling his way around the bed and finally kneeling at her side. "Padme," he said again. A low groan came from the head on the pillow. He stroked her hair softly with his fingers. A white hand crept up from under the coverlet and questionably caressed the alien hand. 

            "Ani?" Padme murmured, her eyes easing open. 

            "No, Padme," Obi-Wan whispered hoarsely. "It's Obi-Wan."

            Her hand left his immediately. "Obi-Wan?" Padme said, struggling to sit up. One hand held the blanket across her body as she propped herself up with her other arm. "What are you doing here?"

            "Do you mind if I turn on a light?" said Obi-Wan, avoiding her question. He flipped on a small light on the bedside table. Padme's eyes flashed as she stared at him. Her white skin gleamed in the pale light as her hair turned many shades of brown as she moved.

            "What are you doing here?" she repeated.

            Obi-Wan sighed and sat in one of the chairs by her bed. Padme drew the blanket protectively around herself. "I have news," Obi-Wan finally said. "About Anakin."

            Padme's eyes softened and her pink lips curved into a slight smile. "Ani," she whispered. "Tell me, Obi-Wan." 

            "Anakin, he"- Obi-Wan stumbled over the words that were so hard to say. Padme's brows drew together and her eyes were fearful as she studied Obi-Wan's face for clues. "Anakin." Obi-Wan finally spit out. "He's turned to the Dark Side."

            Padme's lips closed and tightened in anger and disbelief. "Don't lie to me, Obi-Wan," she said desperately. Obi-Wan stood and walked to the window, drawing the curtain aside for a moment. The shaft of light illuminated the room. Padme turned away. The muffled sounds of her tears reached Obi-Wan at the window. The door to the chamber swung open.

            "Padme? Are you alright?" The handmaiden from the hallway strode across the room and yanked the curtain shut, plunging the room into semi-darkness. The only illumination now came from the small lamp, which was soon extinguished by the irritated handmaiden. The darkness magnified the sounds of Padme's weeping as Obi-Wan stood guiltily by the window. Padme sniffed.

            "I'm alright, Madél," said Padme. "Please get me my robe. I must talk to the Jedi." The handmaiden nodded and lifted the robe off its hook by the bed. Padme drew the fabric around her and lifted herself off the bed. The handmaiden drew her hair into a ribbon and then left the room, shutting the door with a resounding click.

            "Open the window," Padme ordered. Obi-Wan drew the curtain aside, revealing the bustling city-planet of Coruscant. A speeder buzzed past the window. Padme rested her hands on the sill and looked out over the multitude of silver buildings.

            "I miss Naboo," she whispered, wiping a tear away. "If I was back in Naboo, in my palace, everything would be alright. If only I could do it all over," she whispered. "If only I could change everything was. I never would have gone to Tatooine," she said, her voice hardening. "Never…" her voice trailed off, leaving the room in silence. Obi-Wan noticed that Padme's hand flew instinctively to her stomach as his flew to the hilt of his lightsaber.

            "Padme," Obi-Wan realized, "you're pregnant, aren't you?" 

            Padme turned away, ashamed and embarrassed. "Oh, Obi-Wan," she choked, "if only I could change the past…" 


	2. Chapter One

A Change in the Past Chapter One 

Royal Starship

            "Qui-Gon says we must land on Tatooine for repairs," Sabé said in an exhausted tone. She removed the black feather hat from her head and drew the ribbon out of her hair, letting the long locks flow free. Padme picked the hat off the bed and carried it to the closet. She played with the feathers for a moment before setting it into its box. Sabé sighed. "How do you live like this?" she asked.

            "How do _you _live like_ this_?" Padme asked, setting the lid onto the box and smiling. 

            "Careful," the decoy warned, "or I'll make you clean up that grimy droid that they just brought in. Spent the whole battle on the ship making repairs."

            "But it couldn't repair that leaking hyperdrive," Padme muttered.

            "Ah!" Sabé said with a wicked grin. "Off with you! We've got a droid that needs a cleaning!" Padme groaned and stomped out of the room. Sabé smiled as she watched her friend walk out of the room. Her happy expression soon turned to a worried one, though. _What will happen to us? _ Sabé wondered. _I'm only a decoy but if someone wants to murder Padme Amidala I'm good as dead. _

 Down in the bowels of the starship, Padme knelt on the cold metal ground and gave the droid a last good wipe with her cloth. The fabric was stained and riddled with holes and tears. The cleaning oils saturated her hands and irritated her delicate, pampered skin. Padme studied her hands in a disappointed manner. The calluses of her childhood had faded and disappeared. Now her skin was creamy white and smooth, without a blemish. Her nails were trimmed and healthy. Her days of farming and play were over. 

            The droid beeped and rolled away. Padme straightened and brushed her dirty hands over her dress, leaving minute lines of oil on the shimmering multicolored fabric. Padme found it hard to resist the childish urge to stamp her foot and instead contented herself with tapping it angrily on the metal floor. I threw the rag into a bin at the door. It landed with a slight wet sound against the material of the bin. _I should have wrung it out,_ Padme thought as she observed the cleaning oils ooze out of the rag, staining the bin. _Oh well._

            Once they had landed, she made her way back up to the main ship, where a party was preparing to leave. Padme toyed with the idea of going with them, but she decided that she held enough conviction for Qui-Gon to let them go without her. She drew her tongue across her lips to moisten them and walked to the small hole of a room that she shared with one other girl. She stepped into their adjoining shower. The water ran in little streams across her hands, carrying away the dirt and oil. She shook a glob of substandard conditioner into her hands and drew it through her ravaged hair. Being a handmaiden was not completely agreeing with her. The soap soaked into her skin as she wrung her hair out under the stream of water, which began to taper off. She rinsed off quickly in a panic and then shut the water off, wrapping herself in a towel. 

            Padme wondered briefly about the landing party as she shook the dust out of her handmaidens' robe and then slipped it back on. A few remaining particles of grit rubbed against her skin as she tucked her hair into the hood of the robe. She joined Sabé in the control room of the ship, where the decoy was talking heatedly with the Jedi apprentice, by name of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

            "We must get out of here as soon as possible," Sabé was saying. The Jedi sighed and shook his head.

            "Your Majesty, I know that the situation on your planet is becoming rather catastrophic, but we cannot launch the ship with a leaking hyperdrive!" the Jedi said. "It would be suicide."

            "The Jedi is right, Your Majesty," Padme murmured. Obi-Wan looked somewhat surprised to see a handmaiden contradicting the Queen. Sabé looked at Padme, anger flashing in her eyes for a moment before she remembered that she was talking to the true ruler of Naboo. The decoy's brows drew together and she shot one last defiant stare at the Jedi. Then Sabé left the room, muttering profanities under her breath. 

            "She's not your conventional sovereign," Padme said apologetically. Obi-Wan grinned.

            "I see," he said. "I don't believe we've met. I am Obi-Wan."

            "The Jedi," Padme said. "I am Padme, the Queen's handmaiden." 

            "I imagine being a handmaiden is similar to being a Jedi apprentice," said Obi-Wan. Padme cocked her head, interested. 

            "How so?" she asked. Obi-Wan smiled thoughtfully. 

            "Well, we both look up to someone and must learn from them," said the apprentice. "But, I imagine, as an apprentice you can be promoted to Master, as handmaiden you go nowhere." 

            "I wouldn't say that," Padme said, smiling mysteriously. Obi-Wan looked at her, considering her words. After a moment Padme became uncomfortable and she averted her gaze. "What exactly are the landing party doing in Mos Espa?" she asked.

            Obi-Wan looked out the window, his eyes scanning the desert horizon as if expecting their return. "I suppose they are getting a new hyperdrive," he said. "I hope they are not gone long." His eyes probed her mind once more. "Naboo is in great jeopardy, isn't it?" 

            A shade drew over Padme's eyes. "Yes," she murmured. The words touched her heart then, because as a handmaiden she was vulnerable. 

            "You love it very much, don't you?" Obi-Wan murmured. 

            "Yes," Padme said, meeting his eyes. Understanding briefly flashed in his eyes but the light of recognition left as fast as it had come. 

            From deep inside the ship a voice called, "Padme, Padme!" Padme turned and pressed the button that opened the door. She stepped out and turned back to the apprentice briefly. "I will see you later," she whispered. Obi-Wan nodded. Padme let the door slide shut, separating them from each other. 


End file.
